Victory for villagers as industrial development is refused planning permission

Residents have cautiously welcomed the refusal this week of planning permission for a controversial scheme to build an industrial development on their residential cul-de-sac. 

The project, on Hazeldene Fold in Minskip, near Boroughbridge, has been deeply unpopular with neighbouring householders, and many of them lodged objections to the scheme citing concerns about noise, dust and the constant passage of heavy goods vehicles along an unsuitable access road. 

What made the case more notable than most was that there were fears that a buried Roman mosaic could have been disturbed or even destroyed during initial groundworks, which were well underway as early as January 2023. 

As the Stray Ferret reported last year, the developer, Harrogate-based Forward Investment Properties, applied in September 2022 to Harrogate Borough Council for permission to demolish some Nissen huts on the site, and build four light industrial units, a car-park and a turning circle for goods vehicles. 

It withdrew that application, but then applied in October 2023 for retrospective planning permission for the groundworks and to use the existing building as a light industrial unit. 

But North Yorkshire Council’s planning committee this week rejected that application on six counts. A key factor in the decision was the site’s location, which is outside the development limit for Minskip, and therefore considered to be in the countryside, meaning that the development does not comply with the Harrogate District Local Plan 2014-2035. 

Local resident Tony Hunt told the Stray Ferret: 

“We’ve not started partying yet, but everybody’s pretty pleased in the Fold, and more widely. 

“In the decision, they said ‘the proposed development would undermine the Council’s growth strategy as set out in the Local Plan’. That would suggest they won’t be able to successfully appeal, but we’ll see.” 

No mention of the Roman mosaic floor was made in the decision. But according to local resident Tony Hunt, it is reported to have been discovered when the huts were built in 1970 but covered over with a layer of sand and plastic to preserve it. The location cross-references on Ordnance Survey maps with a square-shaped earthwork, and a Roman coin hoard was found nearby in the 19th century. 

Forward Investment Properties’ representative, Leeds-based Addison Planning Consultants Ltd, told the Stray Ferret that the Nissen huts were all still standing, so the suspected site of the mosaic floor has not been disturbed by the groundworks. 

Forward Investment Properties is registered with Companies House as a limited liability partnership and its three members, who are brothers, Adam, Tobias and Daniel Ward.

.The Stray Ferret has asked Addison Planning Consultants whether Forward intends to appeal the decision, lodge a revised planning application or abandon the scheme. 

Tony Hunt and his wife Valerie very much hope they’ll choose the last option. Valerie said: 

“It’s been like living with the Sword of Damocles over our heads for the last three years. It’s affected me very badly and made me quite ill. 

“When we moved here we didn’t expect to have to battle against something like this. Why do they want to put something like this in our little cul-de-sac when there are so many other more suitable places they could choose? 

“We’re very happy about the decision, but they keep coming back. They’re very determined.” 

Tony added: 

“This is not over yet, not by a long way.” 

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Andrew Jones MP highlights housing estate problems in Commons debate

The problems experienced by residents on new housing estates were highlighted by Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones in a House of Commons debate yesterday. 

The debate on New Build Homes Standards: North Yorkshire – in reality a single question-and-answer exchange between two members of the same party – was the final item of the afternoon session. 

Mr Jones said he had been running a ‘fair deal for new estates’ campaign for over a year and had been alerted to the issue when residents in newbuild properties came to him for support in dealing with problems they were having with their new homes.   

He said: 

“There are too many individual cases to detail in this debate. We are talking about over 200 cases located across Harrogate, Knaresborough and some surrounding villages, so the issue is not limited to a specific geography.

“The developments include Kings Croft, Garten Close, Harlow Green, Swincliffe Mews and others.”

Kings Croft is a Harron Homes scheme in Killinghall, Garten Close is an Avant development in Knaresborough, Harlow Green is a Taylor Wimpey scheme in Harrogate and Swincliffe Mews is a Newby development in Harrogate.

Mr Jones said the problems could be divided into two groups: issues with individual properties and issues across whole estates. 

Estate-wide issues cover matters such as drainage, road surfacing, street lighting, street signage and play areas, and “simply being a good neighbour during the final build-out of an estate by keeping roads as clean as possible, and making consideration for delivery times and the types of vehicles used”.

Screengrab of Andrew Jones MP speaking in a House of Commons debate on New Build Homes Standards: North Yorkshire.

Andrew Jones MP addressing the House of Commons yesterday. Image: Parliamentlive.tv.

He said: 

“I have had complaints about how long it has been taking to finish estates and how the focus can seem to move on when much of an estate has been sold. One issue that is regularly raised is about drainage for open spaces, play areas or individual homes. I have seen blocked drains, as well as standing water significant enough to reach front doors and threaten to flood individual properties, which is very worrying for residents.” 

On problems with individual properties, he said: 

“Issues raised with me range from totally inadequate guttering to very patchy fitting of insulation, from window panes separating from their frames to poorly fitted bannisters, and from walls having to be rebuilt to bathrooms having to be taken out and replacements fitted. That is just a snapshot because the list is long.” 

He said he had been dealing with housebuilders including Taylor Wimpey, Avant Homes and Harron Homes. 

Last April, he met representatives of Barratt Homes to discuss concerns raised by residents of the Hay-a-Park Barratt development in Knaresborough – the building of which finished many years ago. 

In the debate, Mr Jones spoke of the the need for housebuilders to be more proactive in their communication and keep householders informed. He said: 

“I have raised this point with housebuilders and, in all cases, they have recognised that there have been communication problems—no one has attempted to deny it—and, indeed, they have sought to correct them.” 

Mr Jones rounded off his speech by asking for an update on the government’s work on future homes and building standards. 

In response, Jacob Young, Conservative MP for Redcar and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, said that more needed to be done to address homebuyers’ concerns where standards had fallen short. He said: 

“We have been taking action to ensure that happens: reforming building control as part of the biggest changes to the construction sector in a generation; and strengthening warranties to give homebuyers greater protection.” 

He also spoke about the government’s work on construction skills, energy efficiency and the new homes ombudsman. He added: 

“Ultimately, it is private developers, not the state, that hold the key to raising standards. Only by local and central Government working together with developers can we ensure that new homes being built in Yorkshire and across the country are safe, decent, warm and finished to a high standard, and that buyers in my hon. Friend’s constituency and elsewhere are treated fairly.”

But the Liberal Democrats’ parliamentary candidate, Tom Gordon, laid into that the government’s record on regulating developers. He told the Stray Ferret:

“After 14 years in Government it is clear that the Conservatives have failed to stop dodgy developers and the pain they inflict on new homeowners.
“The Conservative-run council have consistently dropped the ball on planning matters, including failing to produce a local plan in a timely fashion, which led to a free-for-all for developers.
“This isn’t a new issue. The Conservatives have let developers get away with this time and time again, if they haven’t fixed this in 14 years then how can residents trust their words now?
“Liberal Democrat MPs have led debates on this Parliament and tabled amendments to the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill that would strengthen the law to protect people against dodgy developers. If the Conservatives and Government were serious about this they would take the chance to strengthen the law now.”

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Business Q&A: Gemma Aykroyd, The Cheeseboard

This is the latest in a regular series of Business Q&A features published weekly.     

This week we spoke to Gemma Aykroyd, owner of The Cheeseboard in Harrogate.

Tell us in fewer than 30 words what your firm does. 

The Cheeseboard sells more than 200 different types of cheese from around the world, with an emphasis on local food. We also sell condiments to go with them, and other deli foods.

What does it require to be successful in business? 

You’ve got to be organised, patient, love your product, have a passion for it, and have an amazing team behind you to support you and come up with fresh ideas.

What drives you to do what you do every day? 

When I wake up in the morning, I love coming in to work because I love cheese. I have a lot of regular customers, and a lot of visitors to the town come into the shop too, which is great because I love meeting people from all walks of life.

What has been the toughest issue your company has had to deal with over the last 12 months? 

We survived covid, but Brexit means it’s still difficult to get hold of certain cheeses. We used to order from a French supplier on a Tuesday and we’d have the product in the shop by Thursday, just two days later. Now, we order on a Tuesday and we might get it on the Wednesday of the following week – eight days later – if we’re lucky. Our usual Dutch supplier said they could no longer supply direct to us as it had become too expensive, so now we have to go through a wholesaler large enough to be able to absorb the extra costs, and that personal relationship with the small Dutch firm has gone. It’s a real shame.

Which other local firms do you most admire and why? 

We have a real rapport with Ake & Humphris. They do something similar to what we do, but with wine. I love their enthusiasm and knowledge of their product – it’s a lot like ours. We often collaborate doing cheese and wine tastings at Harrogate Cricket Club. We’ve just held one, and the next will be in the summer.

Who are the most inspiring local leaders?

I literally can’t think of anyone. I’ve drawn a blank!

Photo of Gemma Aykroyd, owner of The Cheeseboard in Harrogate.

What could be done locally to boost business? 

Our street is a bit off the beaten track. When people talk about going into Harrogate, they usually mean somewhere near Bettys, so it would be good to get a bit more awareness for other parts of the town, like ours – Commercial Street is great for independent shops.

Also, parking charges are always on the increase and they put people off coming into town, so perhaps free parking on certain days would be a good idea.

Best and worst things about running a business from Harrogate? 

Harrogate is such a beautiful and affluent town – we’re very lucky compared with other towns. It’s a conference town too, which draws people to us.

But perhaps the best thing is our regular customers. We have people who come over to the shop from Manchester, and a regular online customer in the Outer Hebrides.

The worst thing? I can’t think of anything.

What are your business plans for the future? 

The Cheeseboard was founded in 1981 and I’m its fourth owner. I’ve had it since 2000, which means I’ve had it the longest. I have got some plans for the business, but I don’t want to say too much at this stage.

People often ask me why I don’t open another shop, but finding new premises, stocking it and hiring staff can be quite a headache. If I do expand the business, I want to work on events with other local independent businesses.

What do you like to do on your time off? 

I’m engaged and getting married in July, so that’ll keep me busy. Apart from that, I like to be outdoors, keeping fit, walking my dog or playing tennis. And I like to have a few drinks too – especially wine, with cheese.

Best place to eat and drink locally? 

You can’t go wrong with William & Victoria‘s on Cold Bath Road – it’s run to such a high standard. I also like Fisk, the Thai restaurant on Montpellier Mews. There’s a great atmosphere, the service is excellent, and the flavours are outstanding.

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Harrogate Steel Company enters administration

A Nidderdale steel firm has gone into administration, according to official documents.

Harrogate Steel Company Ltd, which is based on Mill Hurst Business Park just outside Dacre, was founded by Dan Worsell and Richard Searle in 2016.

Mr Searle stepped down as a director at the end of 2023. 

The company, whose website says it is “big enough to trust but small enough to care”, offers in-house design, fabrication and installation services for construction projects as far afield as Bristol and London.

Local projects have included the construction of Paradise restaurant at Daleside Nurseries in Killinghall, and the filming gantry above the Barclay LED stand at Harrogate Town AFC. 

According to the latest available accounts for the company, in the year to the end of December 2022, the business employed an average of 28 employees.

It owed creditors more than £1 million and had net assets totalling just over £270,000.

Online public records journal The Gazette said Andrew Ryder of County Antrim-based insolvency practitioners JT Maxwell was appointed administrator on April 10.

The Stray Ferret has attempted to contact Harrogate Steel Company.

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Harrogate fighter’s Canada dream ends with knockout

Harrogate kickboxer Nathaniel Kalogiannidis’ bid to break through to international glory was stopped in its tracks in London on Saturday when he was knocked out in the second round. 

As we reported last month, the Harrogate muay thai fighter was up against Tyneside opponent Joe Welch in the Road To ONE UK final, organised by the Hitman Fight League at the O2 Arena.

The pair were battling it out for the chance to fight in Canada in November, and the winner of that tournament will win a six-figure contract to fight in the Singapore-based ONE Championship, Asia’s biggest fight promotion organisation. 

Kalogiannidis, who went to King James’s School in Knaresborough, trains at the Kao Loi Gym on Skipton Road in Harrogate and is currently ranked eighth in the UK in the middleweight division. Joe Welch is ranked sixth.

The Harrogate man started brightly, catching Welch with a big punch and dropping him for an eight count. At the end of the first round, he was ahead on points. 

But this only seemed to spur Welch on and he came out quickly for the second round, closing Kalogiannidis down with inside low kicks. 

He then unleashed a brutal right hook, knocking Kalogiannidis out cold. 

Speaking to the Stray Ferret, the Harrogate fighter said: 

“I didn’t think anybody could do that to me, but Joe’s very good – one of the best in the world.” 

Photo of Knaresborough muay thai fighter Nathaniel Kalogiannidis walking back to his corner of the ring during his bout against Dan Bonner in February 2024.

Nathaniel Kalogiannidis. Photo: Lamine Mersch.

He said he would now take some downtime to let his injuries heal and decide on his next steps, but insisted he wasn’t finished with the sport he loves. He said: 

“You can’t make mistakes in this game. If you do, you’ve got to live with the consequences. You live by the sword, you die by the sword. But it’s all I want to do and I’m still only 25, so I’ll carry on.”

Muay thai is known as the ‘art of eight limbs’ because it allows the use of eight ‘weapons’ – the hands, the elbows, the knees, and the legs/feet. 

Joe Welch will now compete in a four-man Grand Prix Final on November 23, 2024 in Alberta, Canada. 

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What are the options for Harrogate Convention Centre?What are the options for Harrogate Convention Centre?

In an anonymous-looking office in south-east London, a handful of thirtysomethings are racking their brains to come up with a sensible plan for the future use of Harrogate Convention Centre (HCC). 

The exercise to “explore opportunities in the marketplace and appraise the best options for taking the venue forward” comes after North Yorkshire Council (NYC) decided last month to abandon the proposed £57 million development of HCC, citing complexities and costs. 

The centre needs investment, and it currently relies on a £2.7 million subsidy. Two applications for grant funding from the government have failed, so new thinking is needed.  

As the Stray Ferret revealed this week, North Yorkshire taxpayers are handing the team from London consultancy 31ten £23,000 plus VAT for the “soft market testing” project, which is due to conclude by “late spring”. So what might the consultants suggest? 

A report for the council’s ruling executive that took the decision to ditch the redevelopment stated: 

“Options may include, but are not limited to, alternative delivery and funding models, partnership working, alternative uses for parts of the site, and asset ownership.” 

In other words the council, which is looking to make serious savings over the coming years, is open to pretty much any suggestion, so long as it sounds viable. Everything, it seems, is on the table. 

Harrogate Convention Centre, which is earmarked for a £47 million renovation.

In January, the Stray Ferret discovered the council had already spoken to private companies about the possibility of selling the convention centre. 

Council chief executive Richard Flinton told Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce that the council wanted to “understand private sector interest in the building” although he added “that doesn’t necessarily mean the council will look to offload it”. 

A more likely scenario could see parts of the site sold off, rather than the whole thing. That’s an option Simon Kent would be tempted to take. Mr Kent worked at Harrogate Convention Centre for 15 years from 2004, leaving in 2019 after more than six years as director. He told the Stray Ferret: 

“The main part of the convention centre is integrated, with parts of it underground, so you couldn’t knock bits of it down. But the exhibition halls are different. If some events were moved elsewhere, those could potentially be sold and redeveloped for other uses.  

“So perhaps there could be an option to move some of the events to the Great Yorkshire Showground and connect them to Harrogate via a shuttle bus. Whatever happens, we need to keep events coming to the town, even if they don’t come to Harrogate Convention Centre. From an economic point of view, the business would remain in Harrogate, so the impact would still be there.

“Clearly, the business is important to the town, so we have to be creative and make sure it stays in the town.” 

The business is indeed important to the town – it’s estimated to be worth £45 million a year to the local economy – which is why the council is looking at some radical options. 

Not many are as radical as the one suggested to the Stray Ferret by Andrew Williams. As North Yorkshire councillor for Ripon Minster and Moorside, he’s long been vehemently opposed to using public money to prop up the convention centre, which he believes is of no benefit to taxpayers beyond Harrogate. He told us: 

“I very much welcome North Yorkshire Council’s decision not to go ahead with investing £57m – more than the original £33m cost of building it – in what I think is a white elephant. It would be very helpful to get some private equity investment in so that it wasn’t as much of a drain on public finances.” 

He thinks the convention centre should put its money on a more imaginative approach. He said: 

“When conventions aren’t taking place, it should be used for more leisure activities. I’ve always thought a casino would be a good idea. 

“York has considerable trade in bachelor and hen weekends – go out in York on a weekend evening and it’s packed with young visitors – but Harrogate doesn’t have any of that, because there’s nothing to attract them. 

“Harrogate should be marketing itself as a destination for leisure activities in a way it clearly isn’t at the moment.” 

The idea of repurposing some of the site already has currency, albeit not yet in the form of casino chips. Paula Lorimer, director of the the convention centre, would like to reconfigure some of the conference rooms to create breakout space, a move she believes could bring in an extra £1 million a year. 

The Stray Ferret contacted Ms Lorimer – who, with an annual salary of £121,818 was recently revealed to be one of this district’s best paid public servants – for this article many times over the course of more than a month, but she did not reply.

Photo of Paula Lorimer outside Harrogate Convention Centre.

Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre

Failing these options – selling it off, selling off parts of it, or repurposing it – there is another route the consultants could go down. Partnership working can yield benefits all round, allowing each party to play to their strengths. It’s an approach tentatively favoured by Kim Wilson, co-owner of The Camberley B&B, which is just across King’s Road from the convention centre. She said: 

“Parts of the convention could possibly be run by other bodies – for example, the Royal Hall could easily be run by Harrogate Theatre – so we’ll just have to see what’s out there. 

“It really comes down to what we want the convention to be. Is it a public asset with government support, or is it better as a privately-owned venture that goes out chasing business more aggressively? 

“My husband thinks it should be a protected asset, but I’m less fixed in my view. If it does get a partner in, they’ll have to be very careful when they’re choosing them – it’s about getting the right fit.” 

For Paula Lorimer and her team, what to do with a convention centre faced with unprecedented competition from – among others – London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Brighton and Blackpool is clearly a conundrum worth spending money to solve. 

But for Simon Kent, who has been entrusted with the archives of late local historian Malcolm Neesam, it all seems quite familiar. He said: 

“This isn’t the first time the convention centre has come to this point – there have been lots of exercises like this. In 1990-91, it looked at getting private-sector investment – it was the first thing the Liberal Democrats did when they got in. Then in 2000 there was another effort to get funding through Yorkshire Forward.

“People often think it all started in 1982 when the conference centre opened, but we were doing conferences and trade fairs in Harrogate as far back as the 1880s, so it was the natural thing to invest in that as the spa industry declined.

“It’s still a viable business, and people clearly still like coming to Harrogate, so it must have something. It’s just a matter of understanding what that is and capitalising on it.”

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College revamp plans ‘will cause parking chaos’ at Hornbeam ParkCollege revamp plans ‘will cause parking chaos’ at Hornbeam Park

Plans to redevelop Harrogate College’s site are threatening to cause parking “chaos”, according to neighbouring tenants on Hornbeam Park. 

As we reported in February, the college is replacing its main building and constructing a £20 million renewable energy skills hub to ‘future-proof’ the site. 

Luminate Education Group, of which Harrogate College is a member, applied for planning permission for the project in August and the case is due to be decided upon by today. 

Preparatory work has already begun on site and Harrogate College has announced that its car park, which it says is used by around 70 staff and students at any one time, will be closed from Monday, April 22 to allow work to proceed.

The college aims to move into the new main campus building in July 2025, after which the current property will be demolished, making way for new parking facilities. 

In the meantime, the college will have 242 fewer car-parking spaces, and has told staff and students to park at the Hornbeam Park rail station and in nearby streets. In its construction management plan, main contractor Caddick Construction states: 

“We encourage the use of the nearby station car-park.” 

But neighbouring tenants on the business park say the rail halt car-park is usually full, and neighbouring streets are not a satisfactory solution to the shortage of spaces. 

Chris Bentley is director of Hornbeam Park Developments, which owns and runs the business park. He told the Stray Ferret: 

“I am not objecting to the new college – I applaud the fact that they are replacing it with an all new facility, fit for purpose for the next generation. 

“What I am objecting to is the displacement of car-parking without thought to the businesses here at Hornbeam. They are also encouraging their car-users to park at the rail halt or around the nearby residential area. 

“It’ll cause chaos to the businesses here – there is no extra available parking on the site and the Hornbeam Park railway station car park it always full. 

“When the project was originally proposed we were given to understand that a new college car-park would be rebuilt on the old building’s site. 

“Now we find that they are reducing the allocation by a third from 242 currently available down to 88, based on a one-day survey taken as we came out of covid.” 

Photo of Harrogate College, on Hornbeam Park.

Harrogate College, on Hornbeam Park.

His views are echoed by several Hornbeam Park tenants who left comments on the council’s online planning portal. 

In his comment, Alan Fisher, facilities manager at nearby Techbuyer, said: 

“Our concern is that it may devolve into a chaotic situation, with people potentially parking in other spaces across Hornbeam Park, including our staff car-parks which are already reaching capacity. Such a scenario could adversely affect our business and staff, as well as customers and clients.” 

He added: 

“We have a large number of heavy vehicles delivering to our sites, and third parties – who haven’t been briefed as our staff are – pose a safety risk in relation to the operation of these vehicles and the forklifts needed to load and unload them.” 

Also commenting on the planning application, Deb Robinson, of family business Witch Casket, said: 

“I already have issues with our parking spaces, stopping my employees being able to park in our own dedicated car-park and deliveries from being made to our warehouse. People have been incredibly abusive and this has caused great emotional distress to our staff.”

Mr Bentley suggested that the college use a nearby field – believed to be owned by Hull College and the Department for Education – as a temporary car-park. However, Harrogate College said it explored the idea but found it was impractical for a number of reasons, principally due to the impact on traffic. It said North Yorkshire Council had advised that making the field into a car-park would require altering all of Hornbeam Park Avenue – the main road through the business park – to ensure safe access.

Danny Wild, Principal of Harrogate College, said the closure of the car-park could not be avoided and said that Caddick Construction had secured 20 spare parking spaces at Hornbeam Park to mitigate the shortfall. He told the Stray Ferret:
“Our exciting £20 million rebuild will allow us to provide the education and training required by Harrogate and North Yorkshire now and in the future, and so bolster the local economy by filling the skills gaps, including in the fast-growing sustainability sector, currently holding us back.
“Doing so will bring great and long-term benefits to our students, community and businesses, which is what we are committed to.
“The temporary closure of our car-park is a necessary part of this project. During this time, we are advising our staff and students to either make alternative travel arrangements to college where possible or to park responsibly in the local area.”

Hornbeam Park has about 120 tenants, and it is estimated that around 4,500 people work and study on the park each day. All the roads providing access around the site belong to site owner Hornbeam Park Developments Ltd, so parking there is not a matter for North Yorkshire Council.

There is no longer any direct bus service from Harrogate town centre to Hornbeam Park, but commuters can still catch buses as far as either Leeds Road, which is 750m away, or Oatlands Drive, 500m away. Both fall within the walking distances deemed acceptable under Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation guidelines. 

The regular rail service between Harrogate and Leeds also stops at Hornbeam Park 30 times per day in each direction. 

The redevelopment of Harrogate College’s site will create modern facilities such as a mock hospital ward, digital technology suite, electric vehicle workshop and a construction centre focused on teaching modern building methods. 

A total of £16m of the funding has come from the Department for Education’s Further Education Capital Transformation Fund. 

Luminate Education Group is a collection of six education providers based in the Leeds City Region and also includes Leeds City College, Leeds Conservatoire, Keighley College, University Centre Leeds and Leeds Sixth Form College.

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Business Q&A: Andy Ormrod, Flying Colours

This is the latest in a regular series of Business Q&A features published weekly.     

This week, we spoke to Andy Ormrod, founder and managing director of Flying Colours in Knaresborough.

Tell us in fewer than 30 words what your firm does. 

We are a flag manufacturer. We purchase flag fabric, we cut it, we sew it, we machine it and we turn it into glorious-looking flags.

I founded the company in 1994 when I was unemployed, and since 2008 we’ve held the Royal Warrant as flag manufacturer to the Queen. That’s now under review, but we should find out if we have the King’s Royal Warrant by this time next year.

What does it require to be successful in business? 

You’ve got to be persistent. You’ve got to know your product, know how to sell your product, know how to get it to your customers on time – and you need the right people doing the right jobs.

You need a little bit of luck as well, but so long as you’re making a good product, you should be OK.

What drives you to do what you do every day? 

Anyone who has their own business has a passion to get up every day and try and do what they do better, and I’m the same. It’s so exciting – you never know what’s around the corner.

What has been the toughest issue your company has had to deal with over the last 12 months? 

I don’t think there’s been anything difficult in the last 12 months. Before that, Covid was difficult, but everyone struggled with that. Our lockdown lasted about two days, but then we had lots of orders come in, not least from the NHS. So I read and re-read the rules, and then brought a couple of people in, working in opposite corners of the room. Then the two-metre rule came in and we had four people. With more orders, it snowballed and became seven people and eventually we all came back to work, and it ended up working very well.

Which other local firms do you most admire and why? 

We deal with a lot of great firms locally. Taylors of Harrogate is one I admire. They’re massive compared with us, but they’re a great business, and like us, they have the Royal Warrant.

Who are the most inspiring local leaders? 

Years ago, I remember hearing about HACS, the Ripley-based engineering firm. Now you see their plant and orange logo everywhere. Their founder, Mark Smith, has done brilliantly well.

What could be done locally to boost business? 

That’s a tricky one. Something we could all do – and that my wife Jules and I try to do – is support local businesses. The high street is up against a lot of online competition, and I take my hat off to those who manage to stay in business. We need to protect these businesses, and that means using them.

Best and worst things about running a business from Knaresborough? 

The best thing is the town itself. A lot of people take it for granted, but it’s beautiful, and the river and castle attract a lot of people here. It’s a really nice place for folk to work.

There’s not a lot wrong with Knaresborough, so I suppose the worst thing is probably the potholes – they’re always a challenge.

What are your business plans for the future? 

I’ve run this business for 30 years now and Jules and I are in our 60s, so we plan to retire on January 1, 2025.

Our sons, Chris, Tom and Jamie, already effectively run the business, and they’re very good at it so they’ll carry on. I’ve had some good offers for the company, but never really entertained them. We’ll stay local and carry on employing local people.

What do you like to do on your time off? 

My time off is very busy! We live in Wath, and I’m captain of Wath and Melmerby Cricket Club, which is something I really enjoy. We also get involved with a lot of village stuff– I love living up there. 

Best place to eat and drink locally? 

The Farm Dairy in Knaresborough is the best place for sandwiches and also does fantastic cheeses.

For eating out, definitely our local pub in Wath, The George – fab food. Otherwise it’s into Ripon to Mario’s by the cathedral or Storehouse on North Street.

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